


Lost His Touch

by TheLilyoftheValley



Series: A Rainbow in the Stars [5]
Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Qwarkarious - Freeform, a little sprinkling of Talchet, just a fic I wrote to help me feel better after a rough day, mainly a Nefarious character study fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26536651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLilyoftheValley/pseuds/TheLilyoftheValley
Summary: Qwarkarious. Somewhat a Nefarious character study. Ever since he had changed for good, all the other villains said that he had lost his touch.
Relationships: Captain Qwark/Dr. Nefarious, Talwyn Apogee/Ratchet
Series: A Rainbow in the Stars [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875358
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Lost His Touch

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Wanted something to cool off with, and Nefarious spending time with friendos is something that just brings me so much comfort. ;-;

Lost His Touch

Ever since he had left the villain side of the universe, the only thing people said about him was that he had "lost his touch."

Villains and evil-doers had reeled at the news. They had a field day with the information, knocking him down from the feared supervillain he had once been to a mere laughingstock by the end of the first week. He was the talk of run-down bars and 'abandoned' hideouts, his name mentioned with a sneer on their faces and disgust marring their mouths.

The first article discussing his reformation was one of the most hurtful things he had come across in a long time.

_The Art of Villainy_ had gone all out, not only calling him soft, but verbally tearing him a new one for running to his enemies with his tail between his legs like a whipped pet obeying their master. Said editorial also ran a full four pages on the topic, running through every one of his inventions and labeling him as one of the biggest hypocritical villains that had ever done evil in the universe.

Other magazines had soon followed suit.

_Something About Evil_ ran a whole article about the falsehoods of being redeemed, declaring that any villain who followed said path was heavily disillusioned and was only going to end up destroying themselves for people that would never forgive them no matter what they may have said.

_Bringing Out the Dark Side_ went after his past, revealing far too personal details in their mad quest to figure out "what had gone wrong" with him.

Smaller magazines, ones that clawed for attention just for the mere spark of fame the other magazines held, interviewed numerous mercenaries and criminals for their opinions on the former supervillain. There had been so many harsh words said in the articles he had no idea if the publishers had interviewed every stray person on the street or if they were just making up people just to publish more smack talk towards him.

The only magazine that hadn't gone after him as viciously as the others had had been, surprisingly, _Supervillain Weekly_.

That wasn't to say they didn't include snide remarks hidden under layers of subtext. The former supervillain had been _Supervillain Weekly_ 's darling for several years, and to hear that he had gone to the side of good was no doubt a smack in the face to the magazine that had praised his name a few years earlier. He had guessed that out of all the villain news sites, _Supervillain Weekly_ was going to hit him right where it would sting most.

Instead, much to his surprise, the writers and editors took a step back to examine the entire idea of redemption in a (mostly) non-biased way.

The head editor and senior writer for the entire magazine had taken on the task. First, the concept of Nefarious turning good. They had brought it up in the same kind of tone Lawrence took on when discussing matters that the butler couldn't care less about, a dry tone that stated the facts and included some of the snide remarks he had been expecting.

After that, they had flipped his expectations.

Concepts came in, and the writer discussed the pros and cons of redemption. There were the obvious cons that every supervillain magazine had already brought up before: the loss of whatever status you had; the unofficial banishment from any level in the villain world; eternal immortality as a laughingstock to evil-doers everywhere… All of the usual points brought into the argument.

Then, it was taken a step further.

One point he had seen brought up that was labeled as a con was the emptiness said villain's space would cause in the hierarchy evil-doers followed. If one large power left or died, there would be a period of chaos to see who would take the place of the old villain. Riots, murders, back-stabbings, and numerous friends-turned-foes would rise with the death of a supervillain, and it created instability in a way that was, put simply, "bad for business."

But then they had listed the positives of redemption, something no other article had dared to do.

Early on in the third page of the five-page article, the writer had discussed the freedom that came with redemption, of having crimes lifted from the creature for each piece of hard work the creature completed. There were noted restrictions heroes would put on reformed villains, but the writer explained the process of gradual trust and respect, allowing the former villain to gain more freedoms without having to constantly worry about being on the run from the law.

It was also stated that redemption was not wholly impossible, just that the circumstances of each case mattered. There were indeed evil-doers that could not be redeemed because of the actions they had taken, something that either earned them the entire respect or disgust of the villain community. The article was quick to state that it was fine for a villain to go all out. But it introduced the counter-point… if a villain's crimes could equally be made up in works of good, then it was possible for a villain to be redeemed in the eyes of the general populace and hero community.

Redemption was hard to achieve, but the idea was not impossible.

And after the short list of positives to redemption had been listed, the writer then brought in something that he didn't think they would dare to include.

Villains usually weren't redeemed. Most died, either by the hand of their inventions or by the hands of their enemies, and said villains never had too much of a chance to live their lives with the freedom and power they craved. Those that had been redeemed before were done so in a way that neither the villain nor hero community approved of, a redemption full of tears that seemed to blow over far too quickly and make a mockery of both heroes and villains. Work was never done to actually show change, and half the time, the "reformed" villain would show many signs of still being evil even though they had asked to be forgiven and promised to do better.

There was, however, a different side to a redeemed villain. Since many villains went their entire lives without redemption, something the writer had made sure to express validation on, there had been an underlying tone to that section that had discussed the multiple sides of a villain. There was a deeper side to a former villain that had lived to do both good and evil, something that set them apart from the average villain…

An evil-doer could be evil and nothing more. That was in the main description of the label. But villains were creatures too, ones wronged by a twist of fate they ached to strike back against. They had their own dreams and desires, and they sought happiness like every other creature in the universe. Sometimes, they didn't find their happiness through villainy, and as sad as it was to see a villain turn to the good side, the writer had mentioned that there was a chance that the redemption would be a success if the former villain gained the happiness they had been looking for.

The article had ended with the powerful question: was the former supervillain Dr. Nefarious truly happy where he was now?

"Qwark, if you don't put down that chick flick right now, I'll strangle you while Nefarious isn't looking."

"Ratchet!"

"Come on, Clank! We're here to watch _Lance and Janice_ , not _Three Days to Blargian Heaven_!"

"What's wrong with _Three Days_? Me and Nef watched it yesterday, and both of us cried throughout the second half. I'm telling you, Ratchet, it's a cinematic masterpiece!"

As the sounds from the living room drifted into the bathroom where he stood, his shoulders sagged.

Red optics looked into the mirror, a tired nature to the mechanical parts. The usual frown was there, only a ghost of what it used to be when he was around his former enemies. With each passing moment, metal claws tapped against the sides of the sink, careful not to knock over the numerous skin and hair care products Qwark used every morning and night.

"Maybe we could give it a try… I mean at another time, Ratchet."

"You had me in the first half, Tal."

"Oh, come on, you guys are no fun. Clank, you with me on this? The movie's got a nerdy guy that says a lot sciencey mumbo jumbo…"

"Unfortunately, Captain, I would prefer if we focused on our original plans and viewed the _Lance and Janice_ episodes we had previously settled on screening for the movie night."

"Oh, why is everyone ganging up on me?! Just wait until Nef gets back, he'll back me up on this, and when he does, you'll all be sorry!"

A laugh bubbled up from his throat, and as his large head dropped, a soft giggle echoed throughout the relatively large bathroom.

When he looked back up, he saw a happier look to his face. Gone was the ghost of a frown, now replaced with the corners of his mouth turned up and a softness to the red in his eyes.

Even with the _Supervillain Weekly_ article taped to the mirror next to the reflection of his head, there wasn't much that could wipe the grin from his face.

Nefarious heard the heavy thud of footsteps barreling towards him. The scientist quickly grabbed the article and crumpled it into a ball, erasing the sudden shock from his expression as Qwark peeked his head around the open threshold of the door.

"Hey, Nef, I hate to bug you while you're in the middle of your existential crisis thing, but-" the large hero took a breath, pausing and waving his hand in a circular motion as he struggled to find the right words "-I have… run into trouble with the agreement on what to view for our movie night."

The robot crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "They're bullying you, aren't they?"

Qwark snapped his fingers and pointed at Nefarious before coughing and going back to acting professional. "Yes! Erm, yes. Ratchet, Clank, and Talwyn have formed an alliance against me, and I was hoping… you could… you know…" He shuffled from foot-to-foot, tapping his pointer fingers together.

Red optics rolled as Nefarious waved a hand. "I'll be out in a minute. Tell them that I'll curse their houseplants or something if they don't agree with you."

Qwark's face brightened like a bulb, giddy with joy, only to shift into an evil smile the longer the superhero stood at the door. "I'll let them know…" he cooed, laughing under his breath as he whipped back around and tore out of their bedroom.

"NEFARIOUS SAID HE'S GOING TO CURSE YOUR HOUSEPLANTS IF YOU ALL DON'T WANT TO WATCH THE MOVIE I WANT TO WATCH!"

"…Qwark… you and Nefarious are the only people in this friend group that have houseplants. Clank, Tal, and I don't have real plants because the people down the hall took it overboard and got our complex to ban real plants from growing in the building."

The goofy smile from earlier returned, his bottom eyelids lifting with the bend of his cheeks.

He took one last look at the crumpled papers in his hand. It was something that asked him the question he had asked himself every day since he had asked Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark if they would give him a chance to better himself and work for the side of good.

Paper hit the center of the wastebasket as the scientist turned away from the little trashcan and out of the bathroom.

By the time he got to the living room, after dodging around the dirty laundry on the floor of their bedroom that the two of them couldn't be bothered to pick up, it was a certain mess of chaos.

Qwark was sitting on the couch in full pout, arms crossed and hunched over like he was a child that hadn't gotten what he had wanted. He was ranting, voice loud enough to boom over the open space. Ratchet and Talwyn were talking with each other, wisps of their conversation carrying over to Nefarious as Clank tried to calm Qwark. Lawrence stood behind the breakfast nook, his back to the disaster in the living room. Popping sounds came from the stove as Lawrence moved his arm back-and-forth, still focused on getting the popcorn ready for the people who asked for it.

While he had to keep some level of grumpiness to keep his friends from thinking he was nothing but a big softie, the frown on his face hid the comforting warmth that balled in his chest.

Qwark caught sight of Nefarious, and before the robot could say a word, the superhero leapt off the couch and bounded over to his boyfriend. Large fingers wrapped around the tall robot's upper arms as Qwark ducked behind his partner, glaring at the others in the room.

"Hahaha! Oh, it's so on! Nef's here now, and he's going to make you paayyyyy!"

He leaned close to Nefarious' left audio receptor. "I'll take the left, and you take the right. Clank's on the right, and I think you're the only one who can get him to crack. Ratchet and Talwyn are going to be hard, but I figure that if I play the guilt-trip card, Ratchet will no doubt give in to Talwyn's want for romance!"

Nefarious turned his head to his boyfriend, aware of the glares from everyone else in the room. "Why don't we just watch the _Lance and Janice_ episodes?" he said, exhaustion in his words.

Puppy dog eyes pushed close to Nefarious' face, but the scientist stayed firm. "If you let them watch the episodes now, you can force them to watch whatever movie you want next week."

With an overdramatic sigh, Qwark deflated. He let go of Nefarious' arms and shuffled back to the couch, heading right for the farthest end of the couch, right next to the armchair. He flopped back against the cushions, huffing as he patted the couch next to him.

That was their cue.

Nefarious stepped over, sitting down next to his boyfriend as a large muscular arm wrapped around him. Just a little bit beside him, Ratchet plopped down, Talwyn cuddling up next to him. Clank sat at the other end of the couch, in full control of the remote.

Lawrence mimicked clearing his throat. As the couch's occupants looked toward the butler bot, Lawrence gently walked to Ratchet and placed the massive bowl of steaming buttered popcorn onto the Lombax's lap. Once it was settled, balanced perfectly between Ratchet's thighs, Lawrence turned and headed right for the armchair, mimicking a relaxed sigh as he settled into the chair and leaned back.

After a moment of everyone figuring out the comfiest position they wanted to be in and Qwark reaching around his boyfriend to steal popcorn from the bowl, Clank pointed the remote at the holo-vision and began to set everything up.

Nefarious felt something tap his left arm.

"Hey, uh, quick question… could you guys not have a gross makeout session this time around?" Ratchet asked, the question sounding more like a command.

The scientist rolled his optics. "No promises."

"Seriously, I don't want to be used as your back support again."

"If you couldn't tell, squishy, the fact that it angers you is one of the biggest reasons why I agree to do it."

Ratchet huffed. "Alright then, if you two start making out, I'll bring out my RYNO and get you guys apart the old-fashioned way…"

"SHHH!" Qwark hushed, leaning around Nefarious' chest to shush the Lombax. "It's starting!"

Pale fingers patted Ratchet's chest as the Lombax grumbled to his girlfriend and his friend. Qwark's hand scooped Nefarious closer, pressing the robot right up against the superhero's chest.

So… was he truly happy now that he was on the side of good?

As the opening theme song for the soap opera played, the rest of the room darkening to provide the best viewing possible, Nefarious took a long look around the room.

Lawrence was already offline, resting and recharging with his optics closed. Ratchet, Talwyn, and Clank all cuddled together, Talwyn and Ratchet sneaking bites of the popcorn as their eyes stayed glued to the beginning scenes. Clank gave his signature giggle as he spread out the folded blanket next to him, draping his legs in warm, quilted fabric. Qwark sniffed, already rubbing his eyes, and the robot knew that his boyfriend would be crying before the halfway point in the episode.

So many villains had turned their back to him. The people that had worshiped his name now mocked it, laughing as they kept a close eye on everything he did. Everything he had worked most of his life for was now gone, years of villainy thrown away in a matter of minutes and one question to the creatures he once called his enemies.

" _Hey, psst, Nef…"_

Nefarious gave a small noise. "What?"

"Can you steal the popcorn from Ratchet? He and Talwyn haven't been eating it and I want a turn."

With a simple reach of his hand, the scientist grabbed the edge of the bowl, lifted the massive amount of popcorn off Ratchet's lap, and swung it over to Qwark.

Loud crunches echoed in his audio receptor as Qwark pushed a fist full of popcorn into his mouth. As he chewed, he closed his mouth, dipped his head, and gave a little peck to Nefarious' cheek. "Luv yoush, Nefff."

In the darkness of the room, at the lowest volume he could speak at, Nefarious whispered back, the small smile back on his face. "Love you too…"

Was he truly happy?

Sitting with his new friends, basking in the most genuine happiness he had felt in his life, he knew the answer.

Losing his touch had been one of the best decisions he had ever made in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Song Inspo: "Funny" by Zedd and Jasmine Thompson. I've been wanting to use this song in a Nefarious fic for over a full month now, and ahhh, I'm happy this inspired me to write this.
> 
> This was supposed to be a short, two-page drabble (as they always are meant to be before they take over GBHNJKJ), but I like the way this turned out. This was a cooldown piece and a bit of personal writing to give myself a pick-me-up, so it isn't my best work, but one I'm happy to have made.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading and supporting, and I'll see you all in the next story! :D


End file.
